Can't walk our girl

[crosbymom]

Maddie just had her first birthday. We've had her since she was 6 weeks old. She is a great, smart, loving dog. I had some trouble with her pulling on the leash when we first started trying to go for walks.

She does fine anywhere and everywhere until we walk up to a storm drain (gutter) on the side of the road. She freezes and shakes and will not move. She's always been afraid of them, but it seemed she got better for a while. I think she just got better about moving to the middle of the street. I'm worried because if I had to get out of the way of an oncoming car when she is in this state, we would both get hit.

I just spent 45 minutes sitting on the side of the road with treats in my pocket, trying to get her to come near the gutter. No dice.

I just now read something about fear imprint. If I had known when she was smaller what to do, I would have done it. What can I do now if the imprint is already there? Moving is out of the question. Please help!

 

[LILYLARUE]

I think drains are scarey cause #1-they have a lot of smells coming from them and #2-sounds are often carried in them, so I would think they would sound pretty scarey too.

You can help her overcome this fear, at least to the point of passing one without her freaking. I would suggest a way of directing her attention upwards at you so she can't see the drain. And doing this before she even notices one coming in her path. Most dogs will avoid them, knowing they can't safely cross one. But to have a fear of one and having a physical reaction to it is different. This may take some work and patience on your part and getting her attention away from the monster drain and on to something more interesting to her than obsessing over it.

Let's see what some of the training experts here have to say. You should get some good training advice from some of the members.

 

[Cami]

One of the dogs that I walk daily used to be afraid of trash cans that were laying on their sides. He would freeze up to the point of me having to carry him home. I so hated Tuesdays....trash day!
Owners never had to experience it since they didn't walk him during the day and would avoid doing so on trash day all together.
I tried all sorts of treats/toys, positive reinforcement, etc....Nothing worked until I got creative and told the owners that he needed his own jar of peanut butter.
For about 2 months I carried that jar with us on our walks. He would pass by the standing trash cans just fine but I would offer him the peanut butter all the same about every 3rd or 4th house. Whenever we were approaching one laying on its side I would open the jar and stick it in his face. He was too busy licking to be frightened any longer. He was AWARE of them but didn't shut down.
Now he walks perfectly fine without any but it did take many Tuesdays of carrying that jar with me!

 

[crosbymom]

Thanks Lisa, I hope so.

We had a fairly good walk this morning. I let her know it was okay to jump the curb next to the gutter and walk in the grass behind and around it. I brought treats with me and gave her one each time she did it. And when she started to freeze up or distract herself with sniffing, I would very gently say "1,2,3...Let's go." as if to tell her, "You can do what you're doing till the count of three, and when I say let's go, you need to stop." By the time we made the round trip back home, I would get to 2, and she already knew what to do. It was cool!!!

I think part of the problem is 2 different people (me & husband) do things differently. I let her avoid them. He drags her in front of the gutter until she does it herself. But this past summer, she got her paw pads cut up pretty good, so that was the end of the walks. I actually think she remembers being dragged in front of them, and that's part of the fear.

I am interested in what the trainer has to say. Thanks for the reply!

 

[crosbymom]

cami,

It's so funny you said that. Maddie loves peanut butter!! I was considering it yesterday when the treats didn't work. I was just thinking about carrying a spoon with some on it (and look like an idiot doing it, I'm sure but who cares?). I like your idea of the whole jar better. I will definitely try that one.

Thanks,
Anna